tea - FoodNerdy Recipes Management System

Many types of tea can relieve colds or strengthen the immune system. Here you can find out how to prepare the most popular types of tea and how they work.

Tea is considered healthy, warms on cold days and tastes great as iced tea even in summer. No wonder he’s popular all over the world. Over time, countless types of tea have emerged: tea was served either as a traditional drink or as medicine. Ginger, rosehip and many other plants have a beneficial effect.

But most tea comes from the tea plant: Depending on how the tea leaves are processed, we get green, white or black tea.

Many types of tea – many problems

Tea is the ideal drink for a healthy diet: if you don’t sweeten it with sugar or honey, it contains almost no calories. Many parents give their babies unsweetened tea as it is healthier than (fructose) juices.

However, you should find out exactly where your tea comes from. Fair trade tea is rarely available in many supermarkets.

Fair: On many tea plantations, the workers are exploited and receive wages below the subsistence level. Abuse and discrimination are commonplace.
Pesticides: On large tea plantations, synthetic chemical agents are sprayed to kill pests and maximize yields. The soil, the water and the health of the workers suffer from the chemicals. In the end, pesticides are always found in the finished tea.
Toxic Herbs: Many herbal teas are contaminated with weeds. The plants are often accidentally picked at the harvest. Often these are poisonous herbs that are potentially carcinogenic.

Teas with a clear conscience

Jasmine Tea: Good for the immune system
Green tea: A particularly healthy type of tea
Lime blossom tea: Good for colds
Ginger tea: Type of tea against nausea and colds
White tea: Traditional fine tea from gentle production
White tea: Traditional premium tea from gentle productionCaraway tea: Tea against flatulence
Rosehip tea strengthens the immune system
Black tea is popular and has an invigorating effect
Chamomile Tea: For drinking and inhaling
Peppermint tea: remedy for stomach problems

Cooking Tips

Quickly Cool Hot Tea to Drinking Temperature

Tips for cooling hot tea quickly. Tea lovers can sing a song about it. Again the tea was drunk much too hot and the tongue is burned. It takes a little eternity for the tea to cool down to drinking temperature.

For those in a hurry, there are simple and highly effective ways to avoid hot tea and a burned tongue while still enjoying it quickly. So that you no longer lose valuable time in the morning and no longer have to wait for tea in between.

From hot to an enjoyable tea

Many ask themselves the question “How can tea cool down faster?” And this question is justified. Because we love tea and coffee in the morning. Or a delicious tea in the evening for supper. And in winter, this hot drink is also a must. In addition, it is enjoyed during the day in many warm countries. So one thing is certain: sooner or later you too will be drinking a cup of tea. That’s why we’ve collected a few tricks for you on how to cool your tea quickly. So you don’t have to wait any longer. In addition, note our tips for making tea with temperature and brewing time.

1) Hot tea with ice cubes

Hot tea tastes great and there are many different varieties. But it takes a while before the tea can be enjoyed. If you drink from it too quickly, you’ll burn your tongue. To prevent this from happening, you can put an ice cube in your hot drink. This allows the tea to cool down quickly. You should make sure to remove the ice cube as soon as the correct drinking temperature has been reached.

2) Quickly cool tea with a cold spoon

You can also bring your hot drink to the right drinking temperature with a chilled teaspoon. You can store a few teaspoons in the freezer for this. And if necessary, add them to the hot drink. So tea enjoyment is not long in coming. Also, read our article about the special properties of Match Tee.

3) Hot tea with cold milk or water

If you like green tea or black tea, you can also add a dash of cool milk or cold water. This allows the tea to cool down and enjoy quickly. You can add more or less cool liquid depending on your preference.

4) A cool water bath for the hot tea

You can also put your tea in a cool water bath. It’s a bit tedious, but it helps. To do this, fill a large bowl with cold water in which you can place a cup. Once you’ve brewed your tea, you can put it in there. Whether as a home remedy for abdominal pain or just because, with the water bath, hot tea can be enjoyed quickly.

Food

Preparing Green Tea: This is How it Does Not Become Bitter

Preparing green tea takes a lot of learning: you have to pay attention to a few things when it comes to the infusion and the temperature so that the green tea doesn’t become bitter and the desired effect occurs.

Green tea is said to have many positive effects on the metabolism, fat burning and the immune system. Since it contains caffeine, it also wakes you up and is better tolerated than coffee.

If you want to prepare green tea in the traditional Japanese way, there are a lot of things to consider: the type of tea, the brewing time, the water quality, the temperature and the amount of tea. The teapot can also affect the taste.

Preparing green tea: that’s what matters

The water temperature and brewing time are particularly important when preparing green tea. If it brews too long, it becomes bitter. If it is too short, it hardly tastes good. If the water is too hot, good ingredients such as antioxidants or tanning agents are dissolved. If the water is too cold, these substances are not bound in the water and your tea has no effect.

For a good green tea you have to pay attention to the following:

Use low lime water
Brewing time: Depends on the type of tea, but no longer than three minutes
Water temperature: depending on the type of tea between 60 and 90 degrees Celsius
Amount of tea: 1 -2 teaspoons loose tea or 1 tea bag (approx. 10 g)
Amount of water: depending on the type of tea, one cup to one pot
In most cases, the packaging states how much tea needs to be brewed, for how long and at what degrees.

health

Tea and Coffee Protect Against Heart Disease

Drinking coffee without regrets, who doesn’t wish for it. In the face of many opinions circulating that drinking coffee promotes cardiovascular diseases, strokes and other ailments, many a passionate coffee drinker may try to hold back for the sake of health. After a study recently revealed that coffee is good for the heart, Dutch scientists are now daring to take another step that clearly weakens the stubborn prejudice against the black hot drink. The results of their long-term study with more than 37,000 subjects, published in June 2010, show that moderate consumption of coffee, but especially tea, can lead to a significant reduction in the risk of heart disease.

Coffee protects For 13 years, the researchers from the University Medical Center in Utrecht have analyzed data on the tea and coffee consumption of the study participants and linked it to the incidence of heart disease and death in this group of people. The result of the tea drinkers was clearest. Those who drink between three and six cups of tea a day have a 45 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than someone who drinks less than one cup of tea a day. With higher tea consumption (more than six cups a day), the risk is still reduced by 36 percent.
The study did not record the type of tea the subjects consumed. However, based on statistical values, it is assumed that 78 percent of Dutch tea drinkers prefer black tea and 4.6 percent consume green tea. This means that the results of the study can primarily be related to black tea drinkers.

The study also showed positive results for coffee drinkers: two to four cups of coffee a day reduce the risk by 20 percent. The effect is therefore not as strong as with tea drinkers, but is still clearly present. The researchers also state that heavy tea and coffee consumption does not increase the risk of stroke, as is often assumed. No corresponding correlations could be established.

The scientists can only guess why the positive effects are weaker for coffee drinkers than for tea drinkers. It is possible that heavy coffee drinkers are generally more careless with their health, smoke more often and eat less healthily. They had higher cholesterol and blood sugar levels than the tea drinkers in the study. Nevertheless, coffee and tea drinkers can rejoice. The good effects on health cannot be denied and will perhaps calm down one or the other heavy coffee drinker a little…

Food

The Bitter Truth About Tea

Exploitation, poverty, environmental destruction: That is the true price for our tea enjoyment – and others pay it. We show why responsible consumers should spend their money on fair tea instead of cheap tea.

Strictly speaking, “tea” is only the infusion made from the leaves of the tea plant, i.e. black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong. So the following post is about that. Because especially with the tea plant, the cultivation and processing conditions are often criticized.

The reasons are of a geographical and economic nature: Today, tea comes mainly from China, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Vietnam (see FAO) – countries in which social and environmental standards are comparatively low or compliance is rarely monitored. The tea market is dominated by a few large corporations, in particular Unilever, the Tata Group and Associated British Foods. This gives these companies a lot of power, for example to enforce their ideas about prices and production conditions.

Tea often means exploitation and poverty

A prerequisite for employees to be able to protect their interests against such powerful corporations is that they can organize themselves. In a study, the Catholic aid organization Misereor writes that on many Asian and African tea plantations, employee representatives such as unions and works councils are being obstructed – in principle not a rare phenomenon in the plantation business. In 2019, however, Oxfam did report trade union activity in the Assam region of India.

Both organizations and a few others also report on diverse and widespread forms of discrimination on tea plantations, abuses of any kind do not seem to be uncommon.

There are hardly any living wages in the tea industry: the wages of plantation workers are often below the national minimum wage. Oxfam and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation mention wages of less than 2 euros per day in different regions of India.

According to various research, there are usually services on the tea plantations that plantation companies agree with their employees, such as medical care, accommodation and food. But these are often deducted from wages, so that there is hardly any money left to live on. In addition, research by NGOs and journalists consistently shows that the shelter and food provided is inadequate.

All three organizations mentioned denounce the catastrophic nutritional situation of tea plantation workers. This is also a consequence of the practice of withholding wages under various pretexts. Many employees on tea plantations are therefore undernourished or malnourished, and an alarmingly large proportion of their children are physically underdeveloped.

Nobody likes it: poison in tea

On large tea plantations, the tea is harvested all year round. Those responsible spray plenty of pesticides to combat pests and optimize yields. Soil, water, biodiversity and the health of the plantation workers suffer from the chemicals. We consumers in Europe can also taste the rampant use of pesticides: Test institutes regularly find high levels of pesticides in tea samples.

Greenpeace India, for example, found residues of at least one pesticide in 94 percent of the tea samples examined in 2014, and even more than ten different pesticides in 60 percent. However, pesticides in our food are not necessarily harmless: some have been linked to various health problems such as cancer, hormonal imbalances and fertility disorders.

What to do?

So far, so sad. If you don’t want to let the problems surrounding the cultivation of the tea plant spoil your enjoyment of tea, you can definitely do something:

Buy organic tea to reduce the risk of exposure to pesticides. The organic certification prohibits the use of dangerous sprays and fertilizers. With the purchase, you strengthen organic agriculture in the countries of origin and contribute to reducing the use of poison.
Buy fair trade, organic tea. This is the best way to combat exploitative working conditions. However, it is not easy to make a concrete recommendation here, because in addition to the well-known Fairtrade seal, there are a variety of initiatives.

Food

Lavender Tea: Effect and How to Make It Yourself

Lavender tea is a versatile and proven remedy. It has a calming effect on the nervous system and can help with various ailments. Here you can find out how to make lavender tea yourself and what you should consider when preparing it.

Lavender tea has an intense aroma and a delicate scent. In addition, lavender tea is a good way to benefit from the versatile healing properties of the plant. Even the ancient Romans used lavender as a medicinal plant and as a bath additive. And the colorful blossoms are still very much appreciated in monastery gardens to this day.

Lavender flowers are used to make lavender tea. You can find out how to make the tea yourself below. If you want to buy lavender tea, you should definitely use organic quality flowers. Öko-Test found increased residues of pesticides and other pollutants in conventional teas.

This is how lavender tea works

Lavender can not only enrich your garden, the medicinal plant also has a wide range of health effects. The valuable ingredients of the flower are responsible for this. These include, among others:

essential oils
tannins
bitter substances
flavonoids
saponins
Lavender has been extensively studied in both animal and human studies. A study from 2013 dealt extensively with the effects of lavender, especially on the nervous system. The following properties of lavender were proven:

antibacterial
antiviral
anti-inflammatory
calming
pain relieving
anxiolytic
mood-enhancing
antispasmodic
circulation-enhancing
You can use lavender tea for various ailments:

Insomnia: Lavender tea can calm and help you fall asleep better. The tea is even said to intensify sleep. The best way to do this is to drink a cup of lavender tea before bed. Even if you suffer from jet lag, you can use lavender tea.
Depressive moods and anxiety: Lavender can have a calming effect on our nervous system and relieves anxiety. In addition, it brightens your mood. It is best to drink two to three cups throughout the day.
Indigestion: Its calming effect also helps with indigestion and can relieve abdominal cramps. It is important that you only let the tea steep for a short time. The highly concentrated essential oils could also irritate your mucous membranes.
Menstrual cramps: Lavender tea can relieve abdominal cramps and has a physically and mentally calming effect.
Respiratory diseases: Lavender can relax the airways and helps against viruses and bacteria, especially in the case of coughs and diseases of the bronchi.
Blemishes and acne: You can use lavender tea as a bath additive for external use on blemishes and acne. To do this, boil a liter of lavender tea and add the tea to your bath.
Lavender tea is generally well tolerated and also suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women. A 2015 study looked at the positive effects of lavender tea on new mothers. The participants felt less exhausted and depressed, and lavender tea had a positive effect on mother-child bonding.

In addition to tea, lavender is also often used as lavender oil for medicinal purposes. Here, the content of essential oils is significantly higher, so the effect is different.

Make your own lavender tea

Only the colorful blossoms are used for homemade lavender tea.

At best, lavender grows in your garden. You should make sure that it is real lavender “Lavandula angustifolia” so that you can benefit from the healing effect.

How to make lavender tea yourself:

Harvest lavender:

Depending on the weather conditions, lavender starts blooming between June and August. As soon as the first buds open, but not all have started blooming, you should harvest them.
The best time is midday on a sunny day. Then the dew evaporated.
Cut off the buds with their stalks, this will make drying them easier.
Dry lavender:

Tie the harvested buds together by their stems into bunches and hang them upside down.
Make sure the buds are not exposed to direct sunlight or heat while drying.
After a week or two, the lavender flowers are completely dry. Then you can easily rub them with your fingers.
Use a knife or sharp scissors to separate the buds from the stems and place in a jar.
Store the dried flowers in a dry and light-protected place.
Preparation of the tea:

For one cup (250 milliliters) of lavender tea you need about two teaspoons of dried lavender flowers.
Boil the water first and then let it cool down to about 80 degrees. The effective essential oils are very sensitive to heat and should therefore not be boiled.
Let the tea steep for 8-10 minutes before removing the flowers.
If the intense aroma of lavender tea doesn’t suit your taste, you can tone it down with a little milk or honey.
Lavender is also great for tea blends. To increase the effect, you can mix the tea with St. John’s wort or valerian. In terms of taste, lavender harmonizes particularly well with:

chamomile
licorice
Linden Blossoms
rose petals

Food

Enjoyment with a Clear Conscience: Fair Trade Tea

Traditional tea has a bitter aftertaste: pesticide pollution and exploitation on the plantations. If you shop responsibly, you can do something about it. However, there is not one all-round good alternative – there are many different initiatives.

If you don’t just want to drink tea (black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong) but want to enjoy it with a clear conscience, you should follow two pieces of advice: Buy organic tea, because the pesticide load there is significantly lower. Also make sure that you really only buy fairly traded tea, because that way you can also counteract the problematic working conditions.

The problem: making a clear recommendation for “fair trade” tea is not that easy. In addition to the well-known and widespread Fairtrade seal, there is an almost unmanageable variety of initiatives. We present a small selection.

Fairtrade: higher wages, fairer conditions

The Fairtrade seal stands for better working conditions in the production countries. An important tool is the Fairtrade premium: it is paid to the local workers’ cooperative or workers’ representation and used for charitable purposes. Fairtrade prohibits discrimination, forced and child labor and requires occupational safety measures and formal employment relationships. Genetic engineering is excluded, the use of pesticides is severely restricted. There is an extra premium for organic cultivation.

The price that producers receive for their tea depends on the quality, origin and processing methods. Due to the included Fairtrade surcharge, however, it is generally slightly higher than without certification.

According to Fairtrade, the wages of the workers must be at least as high as the standard industry wages or statutory minimum wages, whichever is higher. If these are below living wages, there must be continuous wage increases. However, what is considered to be “living wage” has not yet been clearly defined. “There is currently no uniform living wage calculation system, but we are aiming for it,” says Verena Albert from the policy department of the fair trade company GEPA (see below).

Fairtrade does not guarantee physical traceability for tea. This means: If you buy 100 grams of tea with the Fairtrade seal, the pack does not necessarily have to contain 100 grams of Fairtrade tea, it can also contain conventional tea. The only thing that is certain is that the tea manufacturer bought 100 grams of Fairtrade tea – this is guaranteed by the umbrella organization FLO (Fair Labor Organisation).

Buying: Fairtrade products are available almost everywhere: in supermarkets, discounters, organic shops and supermarkets, health food stores, world shops, drugstores and in many online shops.

GEPA: stricter rules, better traceability

At GEPA, the standards go beyond those of Fairtrade. The company also does public relations and lobbying for fair trade and is a member of FLO and WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization).

A long-term trading partner of GEPA is the Indian tea producer TPI. The company pays its employees above minimum wage for every kilo of tea they pick and also invests in a pension fund for them. Unlike many other plantation operations, TPI employs workers year-round, providing them with education, health care, and electricity.

The price that GEPA pays the producers is based on their calculations; they receive a fair trade surcharge per kilo. After all, around 80 percent of all goods at GEPA come from organic cultivation. Many of the teas bear the seal of the Naturland cultivation association.

GEPA guarantees that there will be no balancing of quantities for tea. For consumers, this means that GEPA tea packs actually contain 100 percent tea from certified tea gardens. “Physical traceability is very important to us. It helps to promote not only fair trade in the minds of the people here, but above all the local producers,” says Verena Albert from GEPA.

El Puente: special support for disadvantaged groups

The non-profit El Puente focuses on trading with self-governing smallholder cooperatives and family businesses. Unlike Fairtrade International and GEPA, El Puente provides producers with up to 100 percent interest-free pre-financing of production.

The company works according to the standards of the WFTO: It makes the special support of disadvantaged groups in the producer countries a central criterion. Wages must correspond to the respective statutory minimum wages or the wages customary in the industry, whichever is higher. Living wages are also “desired” here.

According to their own statements, about 80 percent of the food range is certified organic. El Puente gets its tea from cooperatives in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Rwanda.

Buying: The products can only be found in world shops or online so far.

Direct Trade

Initiatives such as the Tea Alternative and the Tea Campaign buy certified organic tea directly from plantations in India, ship it to Germany and sell it directly to consumers in bulk. The tea alternative offers only one type of tea (Assam), the tea campaign two (Darjeeling and Assam); both support the respective region to a special degree. They can offer their products relatively inexpensively by bypassing middlemen, certifiers and complicated marketing structures.

The plantations from which the two direct traders get their tea are mostly FLO-certified. During visits to India, the companies regularly convince themselves that the workers are treated fairly. “The advantage is that I know exactly where the tea comes from and who benefits from it,” says Thomas Zimmermann from the tea alternative. “When I’m there, I look behind practically every machine.” Both initiatives support charitable projects in India with part of their proceeds.

Conclusion: Enjoying fair tea is possible

We believe: every step counts. And that’s why the most important thing is that you do something at all to counteract exploitation and environmental destruction on the tea plantations. The alternatives presented may not be perfect, but they are relatively easy to put into practice for every tea fan and just as useful as they are worthy of support.

Food

Make Matcha Tea: It Tastes Best with this Technique

Make matcha tea perfectly is considered a high art in Asia. Because green tea is very healthy and is becoming more and more popular with us. Here’s how to brew it properly.

Making matcha tea: This is how the powdered tea succeeds

Brewing Matcha tea is a little more complex than with conventional teas. In order for the tea to be nice and creamy, there are a few things to consider. Because to be able to prepare it, you need a bamboo spatula, a bamboo whisk and a matcha bowl (a set is available from **Amazon, for example).

For the matcha tea you also need:

two to four bamboo spatulas or one to two heaped teaspoons of matcha tea powder
75 ml hot water (about 80 degrees Celsius)
1. Soak bamboo whisk

The bamboo broom, called “chasen” by professionals, should be placed in warm water for a few minutes. This makes it smoother and the tea can be whipped better.

2. Matcha powder sift

Matcha tea is only available as a powder. So that no annoying lumps form during the preparation, you should first pass the powder through a fine sieve. This way you can be sure that the tea will have a nice consistency and an even taste.

3. Mix the paste

Now put the powder in the bowl. The more tea you use, the thicker and creamier the matcha tea will be in the end. Pour in some of the hot water. With the Chasen you start beating the tea into a paste.

4. Brew tea

You don’t stir the matcha tea, but open it in a W-shape. To do this, draw a W in the matcha bowl in short, quick movements. Keep your wrist as loose as possible. Gradually add the rest of the water.

5. Enjoy

The matcha tea is ready when the consistency is even and the surface is creamy. Finally, carefully guide the chasen along the inside of the bowl. Now you can enjoy the tea.

That’s why matcha tea is so healthy

Unlike classic green tea, matcha tea uses the entire leaf. During production, the tea leaf is ground and pulverized. In this way, important nutrients are retained that are lost in conventional tea during production.

Matcha tea is particularly rich in antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals. It also contains a variety of vitamins. These include vitamin B1, B2 and B3, but also vitamin C, E and K. Nutrients such as calcium, potassium and beta-carotene also make it so healthy.

Matcha tea has a distinctive green color that can vary somewhat depending on the variety. You can recognize high-quality tea by the fact that it does not taste bitter, but rather has a slight sweetness.

Lifestyle

Home Remedies to Remove Tea Stains

With natural home remedies and tricks, you can quickly and easily remove tea stains. As a result, your clothes or porcelain dishes will be clean again quickly without much effort.

Tea stain removal

Tea tastes incredibly delicious and is good for your health. But no one likes tea stains on clothing or porcelain. So that you can effectively remove tea stains, we have compiled an overview of some home remedies for stain removal for you. It is very important to pretreat the stains, either with mineral water or the following agents:

1) Remove tea stains with cream

If the stains from the tea are still fresh, they can be removed quickly and easily. To do this, rub the stain with liquid cream. Then rub the whole thing with some detergent. Then rinse it out well with clear water. Also, note how you can remove cream stains from textiles.

2) Treat dried tea stains with lemon juice

A dried tea stain is often stubborn. Therefore, you should pre-treat it with lemon juice. But only use this trick on light-colored clothes, as using citric acid can fade other colors. So put some lemon juice on the stain and let it soak for a while. Then wash the laundry as usual.

3) Remove baking soda to tea stain

You can also pre-treat the stain with a paste made from the household remedy baking soda and water. To do this, pour the paste-up and let it soak for a few minutes. Then machine washes it to completely remove the tea stains. You can also remove tar stains from porcelain with baking soda.

4) Remove carpet stains from tea with shaving cream

It often happens that the teacup and its contents tip over. And if you’re unlucky, everything ends up on the beautiful carpet. But with shaving foam, you can clean the carpet and the tea stains disappear completely. To do this, apply the shaving foam to the affected area and rub it in carefully. Then let the foam dry. Finally, you can simply vacuum the carpet.

5) Gall soap against tea stains

The use of gall soap for stain cleaning is also very effective. To remove the tea stains, first wet the affected area. Then rub them with the gall soap and let it work for a while. After a while, you can rinse the stain with clean water. If it hasn’t been completely removed yet, repeat the process a few times.

Food

Chai Tea: Ingredients and Recipe for the Spiced Tea

Chai tea originally comes from India and is called Chai Masala there. Due to its unmistakably spicy aroma, it is now also very popular with us. We’ll show you how to make your own spiced tea blend.

Chai is derived from the North Chinese language and the word “Cha”, which simply means tea. Tea, like the word, found its way to the rest of the world via the Silk Road. To this day, tea is referred to as cay or chai in many places around the world. Strictly speaking, chai tea means nothing more than tea tea.

Today, chai tea is a popular spice tea from India. There the spiced tea is called Chai Masala. The delicious tea originated from Ayurvedic nutrition.

Chai tea: The spices have this effect

There is no single recipe for chai masala. Often, family recipes have been passed down through generations. That’s why chai tea always tastes a little different. The spicy tea is said to have a digestive effect. In addition, the caffeine and spices it contains should be stimulating instead of exciting.

Chai masala is always brewed with fresh spices, while chai latte, a Western invention, is often made with syrup. The following ingredients are found in most chai tea blends:

Ginger: The root gives the tea a certain spiciness. It has an antibacterial effect and stimulates the production of digestive juices. Ginger is also said to help with nausea.
Cloves: Cloves also have an antibacterial effect and are rich in antioxidants. In addition to cinnamon, they provide the tea with a Christmassy taste.
Cardamom: Cardamom gives an unmistakably sweet note. The capsule is also said to have a digestive and calming effect on the stomach.
Black pepper: The piperine it contains has numerous positive effects on our health. It has an anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect. In terms of taste, pepper intensifies the spiciness of the tea.
Cinnamon: In addition to the uniquely sweet taste, cinnamon is also very healthy. The spice stimulates intestinal activity and prevents flatulence. It is also said to help lower cholesterol levels.
Fennel seeds: Fennel also has a positive effect on digestion. The seeds stimulate the appetite and stimulate bowel movements while preventing flatulence.
Anise: The seeds are said to have an expectorant and antispasmodic effect. In terms of taste, anise rounds off the spiced tea well with its sweetish-tart note.
Black Tea: Adding black tea leaves to chai tea is optional. Chai is often prepared with Assam tea. The tea leaves contain caffeine and are responsible for the stimulating effect.

Ingredients for your chai tea

Chai Masala is a perfect drink for cold days as the spiciness warms up your body from the inside. You can also easily make the tea yourself and do not have to resort to overpriced products from the tea house or syrup with unnecessary additives.

When buying spices and tea, it is particularly important to rely on organic quality. This avoids pollution from pesticides. When it comes to black tea, also look out for the Fairtrade seal. This guarantees you fair trade, from which the workers on the tea plantations also benefit.

The classic Indian chai tea has a very intense taste. That is why it is often prepared with milk. With regional plant milk, such as oat milk, you can easily conjure up a vegan version.

There are also countless options for sweetening your chai tea. Honey or coconut blossom syrup round off the flavor of the tea particularly well, but brown sugar is also a good choice.

If you like it spicy and a little hotter, you can of course also drink Chai tea pure.

Ingredients for about a liter of chai:

1 stick of cinnamon
5 capsules of cardamom
4 cloves
2 teaspoons aniseed
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp finely chopped ginger root
3 tbsp organic black tea (alternatively 3 tea bags)
sweetener of your choice
optional milk of your choice